by Adi Joseph, USA TODAY Sports

by Adi Joseph, USA TODAY Sports

Sam Bowie is the guy who was drafted ahead of Michael Jordan. He always will be the guy who was drafted ahead of Michael Jordan.

But the No. 2 overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft may have added another clause to his legacy recently. Bowie, whose 10-season NBA career was marred by leg injuries, says he lied to the Portland Trail Blazers before the draft. He opened up for a documentary, Going Big, which will air Dec. 20 on ESPNU.

"I can still remember them taking a little mallet, and when they would hit me on my left tibia, and 'I don't feel anything,' I would tell 'em. But deep down inside, it was hurting. If what I did was lying and what I did was wrong, at the end of the day, when you have loved ones that have some needs, I did what any of us would have done."

The Blazers knew about Bowie's injury-checkered past. He missed two full seasons at Kentucky because of shin injuries and had dealt with other leg injuries as well. Bowie averaged 17.4 points a game as a sophomore in 1980-81 but dipped to 10.5 points a game as a fifth-year senior when he returned to the court in 1983-84.

The Blazers needed a center, though, with Bill Walton's turn as a superstar ending because of injuries. Hakeem Olajuwon went first overall to the Houston Rockets, so the Blazers selected Bowie ahead of Jordan, the national player of the year at North Carolina. The selection remains one of the worst in NBA draft history, though it seems more understandable now.

Yahoo has more details on the documentary, which chronicles Bowie's rise and fall. He finished his NBA career averaging 10.9 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. Jordan averaged 30.1 points and 6.2 rebounds in nearly twice as many games.